I taught myself to write. There are too many worlds, too many people and possibilities crowding my mind, and they need to get out.

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or on Twitter @ @dadamico

Writers of the Future has a brand new feature, and it's there to promote fantastic new writing from judges and past winners of the contest. My story, "The Redemption of GRE-334b" is up there as part of the New England Speculative Writers anthology, "The Final Summons". There are amazing works from dozens of thrilling new writers, as well as new material from old pros. Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for what's hot and fresh in the world of fantasy and SF.

It's a story about a mechanical man who puts aside his own madness to stop the death of a newly realized friend, and it's just one of the awesome stories in this collection. Take a look, and if you like it, please leave a review on Amazon.

My Story, "Relics of Empire" is available at Amazon in Mythic #5. It's a story about gaining confidence--and invasion. I had so much fun writing it that my first goal for 2018 is to continue Prathra's journey, and turn this story into a novel. Wish me luck.

I'm creating collections of stories for sale. I've already published "Through Starlight, Dying" (available here on this website, or through Amazon and other retailers. My future collections will be an introduction to my work as a whole. Each book will have its own theme. Stories will overlap, some fitting several themes, but all books will be consistent to its theme.

Aaerilia is part of an enormous bridge that had been destroyed centuries earlier, its inhabitants cut off from the greater part of their world. Remnants of several cultures try to coexist, all while navigating the unique limitations of their environment, and learning the aspects of two opposing magic systems.

This story follows a wager between a master assassin and his apprentice as they attempt one last, big quest.

My story, "Moment of Inertia" is available as a podcast at The Centropic Oracle. Originally published in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine's Issue 57 in April of 2013, it's one of my favorite stories. I enjoyed writing it because it's filled with hope, ingenuity, and characters I could really connect with. Hearing someone read it out loud makes it feel special. Listen, and let me know what you think.

"Drop", my longest story to date, is out in the Starward Tales II anthology. The story follows the journey of Fex, an outcast from a parched, desert land as he learns his home is more than he imagined, and as he discovers how a single drop of water in the wrong spot at the wrong time can have world-shattering consequences.

My stories, "Recycled", and "A Trick of Memory" have been turned into podcasts by Manawaker Studios. These were two of my first published stories, and I'm happy they're now in audio. My stories always sound so different when I hear them in another voice. It's surreal.

A while ago, I got an amazing letter about a story I wrote, and I've been meaning to post it, but circumstances have kept me from spending a lot of time online. It's rare a writer gets feedback at all, and a truly positive reaction is a moving experience. It validates the worlds and people within me, gives them breath of their own. Thank you.

I just read "The 'aiei of the Snow" published by Electric Spec and wanted to write you my compliments. I love the story's take on magic -- it felt fresh to me, a new way of looking at the world, even though it has echoes of more familiar approaches to magic. The references to the changes the world has undergone, such as the driving out of the elves, made me want to know more, and yet I have to acknowledge that the story contains as much info as it needs to. I cared about Tokori and his family. The ending was both moving and satisfying. Have you written more about these characters and world? And if not, do you plan to?

I am always especially moved by sincere expressions of care and compassion in stories, as in real life. As Tokori's story ended, I found myself wondering "Why didn't I write this? My stories need some of what this one has." When I find myself thinking that, it usually means I have found a very special story. And I thank you very much for sharing this one with me. I have already shared it on Facebook, so perhaps some of my friends will also read it.

One of my own stories has been held for voting by Electric Spec, which delights me even if it doesn't make it to publication. I do hope that one of my stories might one day be as good as "The 'aiei of the Snow."

My story, "The Metal Moai" is in Outposts of Beyond this month. It's a dieselpunk tale of a young woman who learns hope in one of the most remote places on Earth, and of her little sister who befriends a war machine that may be their salvation or destruction.

The Singularity Magazine has my story, "Fart Monkey and the Shoe" up on its site. This is a bittersweet piece about a failing relationship, and it was originally published by Every Day Fiction back in August of 2012. Manawaker Studios also did a podcast of this story if you'd rather listen.

Manawaker Studios has just produced a podcast of my story, "Final Station". It's science fiction/horror, and there are things more frightening than being stranded on an empty alien world, finding you're not alone is one.

My story, "I Am Brihaspati" is up at New Myths today. I'm excited, because it's a pivotal story in my Inner System Universe. Also, I like the main character's courage and tenacity.

This story is part of a running timeline that explores the creation and history of a space habitat, and the lives of its inhabitants over the course of a century. The timeline starts with my story, "Point of Ascension" which appears in the "Strange Bedfellows" Anthology by Bundoran Press (also available in my short story collection, "Through Starlight, Dying"). It flows through my stories, "Moment of Inertia" (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #57), and "Pups" (Double Feature Magazine, November, 2016). And I'm continuing the universe with "Paper Lanterns", and "Crucible".

“Through Starlight, Dying” is my first collection. It features 31 stories previously published in a variety of venues, and for many stories this is their first time in print (paperback). I'm putting a link on my website www.dadamico.com for those interested in purchasing an autographed copy straight from the author. Please, if you purchase one of these volumes, rate me on Amazon or wherever you can. Honesty is appreciated, but praise is best.

Delve into future where a young activist must make a choice between the lesser of two evils while purposely infecting an entire population with a potentially lethal virus.

Then, join two lonely people sharing comfort and cocoa during a long post-apocalyptic winter.

An unwary repairman gets entangled in the consequences of domestic abuse when he discovers the local waste unit is being used outside of its intended purposes, and read a humorous tale of greed, and where gunpowder really comes from.

A clockwork hero struggles to convince an old hermit to unleash a mechanical army and save a young prince, while a woman seeks redemption and the return of a lost love in a last contact scenario with creatures who may be too alien to care

Even recurring death cannot stop a man searching for clues to an alien intelligence from finding the meaning of his own identity, and the heat of passion quickly turns into the heat of decay for a confused young woman.

A man struggles with the passage of time from within a failed experimental chamber, but receives some very clever help, as a beloved children's character thirsts for vengeance in the days after Alice...

This is just a sampling of the thirty-one tales of twisted and intense fiction that lay inside...

My story, "The 'aiei of Snow" is up at Electric Spec. It's a very human tale of family and loss in a time of magic. It's a bit more touchy-feely than my usual work. I really enjoyed writing this piece.

The editors had very good things to say about it. I hope they're right.

My story "A Single Soft Step", originally published in Slink Chunk Press last March, is now a podcast by Manawaker Studios. It's about a woman who seeks redemption and the return of a lost love in a last contact scenario with creatures who may be too alien to care.

Manawaker studios has produced podcasts of three of my stories, "Outside the Box", "Fart Monkey and the Shoe", and "Dee". They did a fantastic job with each and every one, and they're a pleasure to listen to.

I find it a bit surreal to hear the words I've dreamed up in my head read by someone else, using a different style and inflection than the echo I head when my eyes scan the page. It's an emotional feeling, a good one.

I saw this and smiled. Joseph Kaufman from EVERY DAY FICTION has listed my story "Dee" among some of the more memorable fiction. I liked this story. It's a bit bizarre and not quite right in the head, but so am I. It's a flash piece set in the world of Alice in Wonderland, but darker. Much darker. I got really clever with language in this piece, using many concepts from both Alice books by Lewis Carroll, sometimes subtle, sometimes not. I might have gone overboard, but... that's me.

Bride of Chaos is publishing a few of my shorter and darker works in their 9Tales series. "Al Dente", a hostage story you can get your teeth into, is already out in 9Tales Told in the Dark #8. "The Shadow Boxer", a dieselpunk tale of magic and Nazis, is also out in 9Tales Told in the Dark #13. "The Big Coverup" comes out in July in 9Tales Told from Elsewhere #7. "Harvest of the Christ" in September, and "Final Station" and "Well Suited" will appear together in a space horror themed 9Tales sometime in November.

This story shares something in common with my previous story sale, "The Lemon Thief of Munjid Al Salam". I wrote the Lemon Thief as a first attempt to win the "L. Ron Hubbard Presents, Writers and Illustrators of the Future" award. It didn't win, but got honorable mention. My next story, "Vector Victoria" won 2nd place for the first quarter, and I was flown out to Hollywood to accept the award. I wrote "A Single Soft Step" on the plane ride home from that award ceremony. I've now sold every story I either submitted to, or worked on, in relation to the Writers of the Future contest. I even sold the story I wrote in a day for the writer's workshop while I was out in Hollywood, "Set in Stone" to Plasma Frequency Magazine.

My story "The Lemon Thief of Munjid Al Salam" has finally found a home at Liquid Imagination.

This story holds sentimental value, because it was the first story I'd tried to get published back in 2010 when I decided to get off my butt and become a writer. I originally submitted it to "L. Ron Hubbard Presents, Writers and Illustrators of the Future", but it only won an honorable mention in that contest (My next story, "Vector Victoria" went on to win 2nd place in the first quarter of 2011). The Lemon Thief marks a turning point in my writing career, and I'm happy that it's finally in print.

This contest is judged on pure creativity and talent. The stories year to year are always amazing, and the prize for winning is more than you're likely to get for any other sale. I recommend this contest to anyone trying to begin a career in ether writing or illustrating speculative fiction.

It's been six months since my heart exploded. I feel like I've aged twenty years since then. It's a chore to get up in the morning, and I'm often in pain. My traitorous heart continues to plot against me. I spent last Tuesday in the emergency room, short of breath and suffering the same pains I felt when I had my subsequent heart attack (three days after being released from the hospital for my torn aorta). Another blocked artery, and time for another stent. I'm quickly becoming a cyborg, and not the cool kind. I'm back in work. It's a lot tougher than I remember, but I'm handling it. I'm also back to writing, and that's a wonderful thing. I was worried the brain damage had stolen my mind.

I collapsed sometime around midnight on the 6th of February. I couldn't breathe, the pain in my chest felt like someone was standing on top of me. One of my valves had split open. Blood was pooling in the in the sack surrounding my heart, crushing the life out of me.

I got really lucky. The odds were against me, but I lived. I spent ten days in the hospital before they let me come home.

I had a heart attack three days later. Seriously. They rushed me back to the hospital and placed a stent, and I thought I'd had enough.

A week later I went in for a routine follow-up, and they found blood clots in both my legs. Back into a hospital bed I went.

They let me out a couple of days ago, but I'm taking injections to the belly twice a day and I want to curl into a ball every time I hear a siren.

I find it difficult to write sometimes. Well, the writing part isn't actually what I have trouble with. It's getting in there and trying. It's easy to blame work or family, but it's all internal. I want to write. I love writing, making up characters and stories, and I get lost in the worlds I create... when I finally manage to take that first step.

Part of it is drive. My enthusiasm wanes from time to time. I find it difficult to get motivated, and when I do I find it hard to find the confidence that my work is worth completing.

I've been doing this writing thing with essentially no support. I have no writing group, first reader, or network of other writers to consult or converse with. Nobody in my life even likes to read.

I write my stories and send them to editors, some with a measure of revision, but essentially as they flow from my brain. The first critiques I get are usually rejections. Some stories aren't rejected, and the few successes keep me going.

I've had a couple of dozen stories published in the last four years, and that says something. But this lonely road is taking its toll.

I sold my twelfth story of 2013 today. It was "Point of Ascension", a near future space story about orbital divers on a desperate mission. It's one of my favorite stories, and I'm very happy to have sold it. It'll be included in the Strange Bedfellows anthology by Bundoran Press.